My northern home-away-from-home
Written: Dec 17 '04 (Updated Nov 08 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pretty good minisuites, almost as good as Summerfield Suites.
Cons: Small, underequipped kitchen.
The Bottom Line: This is my favorite place to stay in the Rochester area. Clean and comfortable and friendly. Great for business or family travel.
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| fritz_t_coyote's Full Review: Homewood Suites Rochester-Henri |
In brief:
Homewood suites: Hilton gets Suites hotels almost perfectly. The Henrietta Staff makes it even better.
I have come to prefer suite-style hotels, especially when traveling for extended business or with kids.
WarningThere are some "suite style" hotels who have not quite figured out that if there ain't a BEDROOM DOOR it ain't a Suite! Homewood, like Summerfield Suites, got that part right.
For business trips, having that separate bedroom makes it easier to stop working, and go to sleep, which is a necessity now that high-speed internet in the room makes it easy to do a full days work on the road, and go back to the hotel and keep up with office email, etc.
For family travel it means you can put the kids to bed and have a quiet evening of adult peace.
The other advantage of the Suite Style rooms is he in-room fridge means I can keep some fresh food in the room, and have a shot at eating in a healthy manner while on road trips.
The Room:
Closet space is good, but the only closet is in the bedroom, which is annoying in the winter (and upstate NY gets some heavy-duty winter) when you have to store coats, hats, gloves, boots, etc. This results in snowy boots and coats stacked up just inside the door.
There is plenty of lighting, good for working or reading.
The mini-kitchen is merely OK: Big fridge with icemaker, nice dishwasher, microwave. But a tiny 4-'cup' coffeemaker, little 2-burner cooktop, tiny 'bar' sink (with Garbage Disposal) and No oven limits your in-room-cooking options.
The furniture is mostly comfortable, basic hotel grade: a sofa (which folds out into standard-sized bed), recliner, total of (only) 3 standard chairs. The kitchen area is separated from the rest of the room by a tabletop and there is a desk area in the bedroom.
The amount of space is adequate, not palatial, and can feel a bit crowded with more than 2 people.
The Bed is Wonderful... nice firm mattress, plenty of pillows. But the Sofabed is, on the other hand, A Back Killer (as they usually are).
Good TVs, plenty of basic cable stations plus Showtime.
There is a VCR on the 'living room' TV.
Bathroom: Good hot water, nice showerhead. The commode and bathtub are in a separate room, the bathroom sink is technically in the bedroom. Some people don't like this layout, but it is remarkably efficient when 2 or more people need to get showered, prepped and dressed in a short amount of time.
Hotel Facilities:
The free breakfast is nice, good selection of healthy and indulgent items, including fresh fruits, juices, make-you-own waffles, the usual toastables, and scambled eggs and a meat-du-jour (usually bacon or sausage, recently some excellent ham).
There is also a nice evening buffet, which truly thrifty travelers on a per-diem might find sufficient dinner.
The indoor pool is warm and wet and clean.
There is also a basic fitness center (treadmill, stationary bike, etc.) and a 'business center' with a couple of basic pcs, a printer and fax.
Everything is clean and well-maintained.
There is free high-speed internet available in the rooms.
Plenty of well-lit parking.
Safety:
This is a nice suburban neighborhood, the parking lot is well lit, and the building has good locks and security cameras in the halls and doorways.
Staff:
Very pleasant, helpful, all-around great bunch of people.
Area
This hotel is located just off I-390, and is convenient to various restaurants and lots of shopping.
Quibbles:
The kitchen could be better.
Lack of a coat closet in the front room.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fritz_t_coyote
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Member: Fritz Coyote
Location: New York, NY, USA
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Computer tech. Gearhead. SF 'fan'.
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